


to keep the tension at bay

by ivelostmyspectacles



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ardyn as a Party Member, Established Relationship, Hand Jobs, M/M, Massage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-27 14:16:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17163494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivelostmyspectacles/pseuds/ivelostmyspectacles
Summary: “Ijest,Ignis,” Ardyn said, resting both hands on either of Ignis’s shoulders. “I’m truly worried about your stress levels.”aka Ardyn helps Ignisrelax





	to keep the tension at bay

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas to a friend of mine! You know who you are! _filthy_ jk jk ily <3 <3 <3

“What–” Buttons jerked, fabric pulled taut before pulled free. “– have I done to get you so riled up, dear Ignis?”

The amusement wasn’t lost on him, but it did little more than to annoy him, in that moment. Ignis stared down at Ardyn, settled atop him as he was, and braced a hand against his chest. “Just embracing my inner desires, so you urged me to do.”

Ardyn lifted an eyebrow. “Oh? Are you certain it wasn’t that I’m capable of darning the hole in my sleeve on my own accord that’s got you so hot and bothered?”

He nearly spat out the laugh at the words, but it was nearly an unpleasant mixture of annoyance _and_ humor that stopped him from appreciating the joke. “Don’t be absurd.” And then, only slightly contrite, “it does help. Noct’s quite adept at sewing if only I can persuade him to, Prompto, Gods bless him, can’t pull a stitch tight enough to last our merry adventures, and Gladio… Gladio leaves socks and his _adult magazines_ strewn throughout the car and tent, nevermind sewing up his jacket should it need mending.”

Now both of Ardyn’s eyebrows whisked up, a nonetheless amused tinge of humor to his gaze. “Airing your grievances?”

 _“No.”_ Ignis sighed, bracing both hands on his chest to slump over slightly. “Apologies, Ardyn, it wasn’t my intention. I’m merely…”

“Stressed,” Ardyn supplied, and Ignis bit off a sigh at the word. He was usually so adept at handling the workload. Failing to was only another shortcoming he was all too well aware of. “You’re more than welcome to fuck it out of me, should you require.”

“Should I…” Making a face, Ignis sat back. “I’m not using you for your body, _Chancellor._ You’re not meant to be my outlet.”

“I wouldn’t mind if I were.”

Gods, that thought was revolting. Perhaps all of this had started out as merely a quick fuck for a release of tension, of a different kind, but Ignis preferred to think himself above all that now. Especially given the amount of times that he and Ardyn had _made love._

“You’re worrying too _much,_ Ignis,” Ardyn said, reaching up to take his face in his hands. Ignis couldn’t help to heave a sigh _again,_ and the man continued. “May I?”

The part of him that was still acerbic, still vexed at his companions and their quests and the particular band of wildlife that had eluded them today, wanted to snap _may you what?_ But the part that was sagging under the weight of the day and Ardyn’s gentle probing didn’t allow him the irritation. Instead, he merely nodded, and allowed Ardyn the permission for whatever grand scheme he would have up his sleeve this time.

The press of the man’s fingers sliding into his hair was comforting in a way that it ought not to be. The small things. Ignis let out a breath he hadn’t been aware of holding, and closed his eyes. The one time the man was permitted in mussing his hair. He enjoyed it far too much.

“Lay _down,_ Ignis.” Ardyn slipped a hand down to the small of his back, gently forcing him down flush atop his chest. “Truly, the stress will kill you before the daemons have a chance.” Ignis folded his arms on Ardyn’s chest and rest his chin on them as the man continued. “At the very least, let us not have to worry about ulcers for a few years longer.”

“I think the gray hair will happen first,” Ignis said faintly. “It’s probably a very real reality now, actually. I try not to look.”

“You’ll be just as handsome with silver locks,” Ardyn said, “but let’s leave that discussion for another time. Are you willing for something less strenuous tonight?”

“Less strenuous…” he echoed, and then another, dry laugh. “You don’t have to ask if I’d like to relax, Ardyn.”

“Well, sometimes I don’t know with you. Alright, I’ve decided, pop off and lay on your stomach on the bed, would you? And take your shirt off.”  

“Just because I’m stressed doesn’t mean you have to do _all_ the work.” It wasn’t a complaint. He’d already given the reins over to Ardyn for the night; taking them back was far too much effort. Even if he _would_ have fucked Ardyn thoroughly if the man hadn’t distracted him.

“I didn’t say I was fucking you, Ignis.”

Having shifted from Ardyn’s torso to the mattress, Ignis paused as he reached for the pillow. “Oh.” That was… slightly unexpected, given how the night had begun. But again, not a complaint. “Color me _curious.”_

“Oh, you should be, darling.”

The mattress shifted; the press of Ardyn’s knees on the bed near him, and then the man all but straddling the back of his thighs. His cock align with his arse, and Ignis raised his head again. “… you do realize,” he said, “that this position does nothing to _deter_ the original thought.”

“I didn’t say I was fucking you, but I didn’t say I _wasn’t.”_

“Ardyn–”

“I _jest,_ Ignis,” Ardyn said, resting both hands on either of Ignis’s shoulders. “I’m truly worried about your stress levels.” His thumbs dug into skin just beneath his shoulder blades, and Ignis gasped out loud. The pressure was almost pain for a moment, and then settled out into pleasure, aching and amazing simultaneously.

Ardyn continued at the tension Ignis had been carrying on his shoulders, and then he finally found his vocal cords to speak. “A massage?”

“Alas, not a prostate one.”

Ignis spluttered into the pillow, and then sucked in a sharp breath as Ardyn moved onto another, more tender muscle. _“Gods,_ how do you know how to do that?”

“The same way you do, I suppose.”

“Yes, but I learned massage because of– of Noct’s injury,” he said. “We couldn’t find a masseuse who– didn’t make his pain worse, so I learned the basics. You…”

“Even I get bored, Ignis.”

“Bored–” Ardyn’s fingers traced down to the small of his back, barely the feel of pressure and then stronger. A mite harder. The heels of his hands rubbing slow and gentle circles, and then returning to move to the tops of his shoulders. “… you’re far too good to have learned when you were _bored,”_ Ignis continued, drowsily. The tension was already fleeing beneath the man’s touch– after all, he had so _much_ of it at any given time, and nowhere for it to go.

Ardyn, working out the kinks in his mind and body without even exerting himself. For all of his continued pompousness and occasional arrogance, the man could be charmingly _gentle._ Why Ignis loved him.

Ardyn hummed. “I’m a quick study.”

Ignis found himself agreeing, even as he barely knew what he was agreeing to. “Yes,” he said, and let himself sink a little further into the sheets and pillows. “Truly perfect.”

Ardyn’s laughter was soft and warm, like water. Or wine. Ignis drank it in, greedy and sleepy. “I’m far from perfect, Ignis.”

He may have argued, wanted to argue against that– at the very least, argue that no one was _perfect,_ if they wanted to get down to technicalities– but Ardyn’s talented fingers had sought out another knot settled into muscle, and pressed in, and the only noise that left Ignis’s mouth in return was something akin to a moan familiar to the both of them.

Good that he wasn’t yet relaxed enough _not_ be embarrassed over that, but focusing on the heat flooding to his face was more effort than he could expend. Still, he did curse, softly, under his breath, and arch his back into Ardyn’s hands.

“Patience, love. Slow and steady wins the race.”

He drooped back into the pillows to muffle his groan, and more or less the rest of the tiny noises that came as the man worked his way through the knots in his back. Gods knew there were too many, too many to count, and he was drifting through the relaxation when Ardyn finally pulled his hands away.

A moment, a beat of silence, and then Ignis forced himself to drag his heavy eyelids open when Ardyn leaned over to kiss the crown of his head.

Well. Perhaps he wouldn’t thoroughly fuck him tonight. But he could repay a favor, even if it was less than he’d intended.

After having rolled onto his back, Ignis barely had time to rest a hand on Ardyn’s chest, and then slide it _down,_ before the man caught his wrist with a click of his tongue and a soft noise of disagreement.

“No, _I’m_ taking care of _you,_ my dear advisor,” Ardyn said, raising his hand to kiss his knuckles. “If anyone’s giving anyone a hand job, _you’ll_ be the one caught in the throes of pleasure tonight.”

 _Oh._ Before he could even hope to say the word aloud, Ardyn was unbuttoning his trousers and reaching into his pants for his cock. So he gasped aloud instead, throwing his head back on the pillows. Back arching off the mattress, baring his throat, so very _pliant_ under his hands despite his best intentions upon stepping into their hotel room with Ardyn–

“I’m going to take all of your tension,” Ardyn said contemplatively, as he started to stroke, “and drain it away from you. Together, we’ll make sure you sleep well tonight.”

“I always sleep well,” he gasped.

“No, you don’t. You sleep with one eye open.”

Well, he did have him there. “If someone needs me–”

“The _only_ person,” Ardyn interrupted, “who needs you right now is me. And _I_ need you to _relax.”_

“How can I possibly relax with your hand on my cock?” Ignis retorted, breathless, and still found his strength to thrust his hips into the pressure and speed of Ardyn’s movements.

“To the best of your abilities, then,” Ardyn said cordially. “Just give _in.”_

 _Working on it,_ Ignis thought, but decided to save his breath. Curled his toes and fingers into the blankets and huffed out a sharp breath instead. Give in. So very difficult to do. It always had been. But between the work and the worry, and Ardyn’s talented fingers and the bedsheets beneath him… there were only two people he trusted to make him _let go,_ and only one of them was ever going to be able to give him that. What he needed. Wanted. _Fuck,_ he barely knew anymore.

In other words, it was a relief to give control over to someone else. If only for however briefly.

Ardyn was still holding his hand. Ignis shifted his fingers, and then reached up to curve his hand along the stubble on the chancellor’s jaw. “… faster.”

“Copy that!”

If there was one thing Ardyn was good at– and there were several, to be truthful– he was good with his hands (equally with his mouth, but that was neither here nor there at the moment.) And he was good with _him,_ Ignis thought faintly, slipping his hand up into Ardyn’s hair to hold on to and _pull_ him in to kiss.

Release came not a full thirty seconds later, with his hand still in the man’s hair and the sound of his orgasm muffled by Ardyn’s lips as he kissed him. Determined at first, and then softer, _lazier,_ as the adrenaline drained from Ignis with the rest of his anxiety and agitation from the day. Eventually lazing into the blankets and even stilling with his mouth against Ardyn’s as he was forced to catch his breath.

“Better.” Ardyn’s voice was quiet, a breath of warm air against his cheek, and Ignis laughed faintly, turning to nuzzle his nose along Ardyn’s jaw.

“Thank you.”

“No need.” Ardyn pressed another soft kiss to his lips, and then pulled back. _“Now_ we’ll both sleep well tonight!” Situating Ignis’s trousers only took the man another moment, and then he was settling down next to Ignis, resting his head on his arms. “I’ll get your jammies, if you’d like?”

Ignis rolled his eyes, nudging at his arm. “Quiet. I’ll manage fine in a… moment or two. Once I catch my breath.”

“I know, I’m very good at taking it away.”

 _“Quiet,”_ Ignis repeated with a laugh, and Ardyn mimed zipping up his lips, and rest his chin back on his forearm to simply _look_ at him.

 

Needless to say, Ignis was asleep, safe and sated, before he made a move to collect his pajamas.


End file.
